First foreign trip since Operation Sindoor: Canada ties in focus as PM attends G7 next week; Trump meet likely
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The Group of Seven (G7) summit in Canada next week may present an opportunity for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to meet US President Donald Trump , in what could be their first engagement in person since India's military action against Pakistan last month in the wake of the Pahalgam terrorist attack A possible meeting between the two leaders assumes significance against the backdrop of Trump's repeated claims that he helped broker a ceasefire between India and Pakistan during the recent conflict, an assertion that India has dismissed.Modi will travel to Kananaskis in Canada on June 16-17, at the invitation of Canadian PM Mark Carney, for what would be his sixth consecutive participation in a G7 summit.It will be his second stop on a three-nation tour, from June 15-19, during which he will also visit Cyprus and Croatia, seeking to build a broad coalition against cross-border terrorism infrastructure and terrorist proxies. He will hold many bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the G7 summit, as per an external affairs ministry announcement.If he meets Trump, he is expected to focus on cross-border terrorist infrastructure, which was India's pinpointed target during the action against Pakistan from May 7-10 under Operation Sindoor , said sources. Trump has spoken at least a dozen times since then, claiming he helped avert an escalation between the nuclear-armed neighbours by using trade as an instrument of negotiation. India has, however, maintained that the US played no such role in what remains essentially a bilateral matter.Indian officials have clarified that the US was in touch with India after Operation Sindoor but in no way mediated the ceasefire and there was no discussion on trade. Trump's administration's alleged links with Pakistan military have cast a shadow over ties with India.
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